Advice on Replacing drive axle [1997 Volvo 850 GLT]

[Ozark Lee]

The 38mm head on the nut would be new one on me. The OEM nuts use a 34mm socket and many of the aftermarket axles take a 32mm socket. I've never been able to get the nuts to budge with an impact wrench but my Ingersol Rand impact is gutless anyway, it has been a huge disappointment but I digress.

I am not a real big man but I use the crappy Harbor Freight 3/4" drive socket set and their excuse for a breakover bar that comes with it along with a 6 foot pipe and It has always worked. That Harbor Freight set goes all the way up to 50mm I think and it had to be cheap or I wouldn't have bought it.

...Lee

[erikv11]

Sim the most surefire way to loosen the really stuck ones is to just drive down to a shop and ask them to do it. They will pop them loose in a couple seconds with a heavy duty impact. Maybe charge you 20 bucks tops.

[SimLyons]

Yeah, I thought I might do that....next! Just got back from Harbor Frt and traded in my wimpy impact for a new 700 ft. lb. I'll try that in the AM and if I fail I'm off to my local indie.

Thanks!!!

[SimLyons]

Back to the forum for me!

I got axle nuts off with my new HF 700 Ft. Lb. impact wrench. Then replaced the Knuckle on both sides with knuckles from a trusted Volvo recycling yard in CA. Then replaced rotors and pads with new, bolted it all togehter and took my wife for a test drive. Brakes were fine and no more jittering in the brake pedal and steering.

But! The steering wheel alignment is way off....about 25 degrees to the right and it now feels like the new tires are as round as bricks. And when I stopped to turn around I got a medium pitched "rattle/clunk when shifting to reverse. When I shifted back to D the car made the same noise.

So today I started with pulling the wheels off. I grabbed the rotors on each side while watching the shafts. When I rotated the rotors backwards and forwards I got the same very noticeable noice and not from the CV joints. They sounded like the noise came from the intermediate bearing housing, And the rotation of the rotors was significant before it "clacked": about 5 to 10 degrees of "slop".

I am HOPING it's not the transmission. But I sure would likke to hear from you more knowledgeable and experienced folks.

Thanks!! Sim